Cathy Townsend (born June 8, 1937) was a Canadian ten-pin bowler. Townsend became one of the first Canadian women to win gold at the
World Bowling American Zone Championships in 1974. The following year, she was the first woman of Canada to win the
QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup
The QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, previously known as the International Masters and AMF Bowling World Cup, is an annual Ten-pin bowling championship sponsored by QubicaAMF Worldwide, and the largest in bowling in terms of number of participating n ...
. Townsend was inducted into the
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canad ...
in 1977 and the
Canadian Tenpin Federation Hall of Fame in 1994.
Early life and education
On June 8, 1937, Townsend was born in
Campbellton, New Brunswick
Campbellton is a city in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.
Situated on the south bank of the Restigouche River opposite Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec, Campbellton was officially incorporated in 1889 and achieved city status in 1958.
For ...
. She began her bowling career in 1963.
Career
In 1967, Townsend participated in the
WTBA World Tenpin Bowling Championships
The World Tenpin Bowling Championships is a global event that invites all countries that are members of International Bowling Federation to participate.
Event details and history
The first World Championships was in 1954, held in Helsinki where ...
but did not win a medal. From 1969 to 1971, she had won silver at the
Tournament of the Americas
The FIBA AmeriCup (previously known as the FIBA Americas Championship) is the Americas Basketball Championship that takes place every four years between national teams of the Western Hemisphere continents.
Since FIBA organised the entire We ...
.
[ In 1974, Townsend also won gold in the doubles event at the ]Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs
International Bowling Federation (IBF), known as the Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs (FIQ) from 1952 to April 2014) and as World Bowling (WB) from April 2014 to November 2020, is the world governing body of nine-pin and ten-pin bowling ...
American Zone Championships alongside Joanne Walker Keefe Joanne may refer to:
Music
* ''Joanne'' (album), 2016 album by Lady Gaga
** "Joanne" (Lady Gaga song), a 2016 song from the album ''Joanne''
* "Joanne" (Michael Nesmith song), a 1970 song from the album ''Magnetic South''
* "Joanne", a song by C ...
. She became one of the first Canadian women to receive a gold medal in this championship.[ At the same competition, Townsend won silver in the four-woman and bronze in the five-woman events.][
The following year, Townsend participated in the 1975 World Tenpin Bowling Championships and became the first woman of Canada to win the ]QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup
The QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, previously known as the International Masters and AMF Bowling World Cup, is an annual Ten-pin bowling championship sponsored by QubicaAMF Worldwide, and the largest in bowling in terms of number of participating n ...
. After the World Cup, Townsend withdrew from the competition due to an arm injury. She returned to bowling in the summer of 1976. After returning to bowling, she won gold at the 1976 Tournament of the Americas in the all-events and mixed four competitions. [ In 1981, Townsend won bronze in the five-woman event at the Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships. Outside of bowling, Townsend was a stenographer.]
Awards and honors
Townsend was inducted into the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canad ...
in 1977[ and the Canadian Tenpin Federation Hall of Fame in 1994.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, Cathy
1937 births
Living people
Canadian ten-pin bowling players
People from Campbellton, New Brunswick
Sportspeople from New Brunswick